Stefan Faistenauer
Plug and Play Ventures
Senior Associate
Stefan Faistenauer is an experienced professional with a diverse background spanning research, government, startups, and venture capital in Silicon Valley and Europe. Currently serving as a Senior Associate at Plug and Play Ventures, the most active early-stage VC in the world, Stefan leads deep tech investments, accelerator program management, and corporate innovation efforts with partners like Raytheon, Honeywell Aerospace, LG, and Itochu. Stefan is a trusted advisor to over 100 founders; notable deep tech investments include Starpath Robotics, Lumen Orbit, Astrus, Terra AI, Ammobia and Vaulted Deep.
Stefan is also a mentor for European space startups from the CASSINI Business Accelerator, a six-month program by the European Commission, supporting international startups entering the US market. He previously worked for the German Government conducting market research and US market entrance support to startups and SMBs. He was also a founding member of Tumbleweed, a next-generation Mars rover research project that enables large-scale exploration.
Stefan earned his Master of Science in Data Analytics & Business Intelligence from Long Island University, New York.
